The Pet Shop (bxbxb)

25. Decide

(The second half of the last chapter, partially edited) 

Rolling over, Warden reached forward, expecting to find Drake's too-warm body beside him, but when his fingers touched cold sheets, his eyes blinked open. 

"He left to go for a long run. He said it was that, or get hit by another rolled up newspaper several times... which he said hurt quite a lot more than he thought it would." Cerat said from behind him, making Warden roll onto his other side and smile sleepily at the vampire. 

They were quiet for a few moments before Warden sat up. "It was a smart move. I'm going to go take a shower, then I'll feed you if you're hungry." He said as he got up, not really waiting for a response. 

He heard the blankets shift after he was already up, but didn't look back until he felt arms gently wrap around his middle as he stepped inside the bathroom. 

"Can I not eat now?" Cerat asked as he ran his cold tongue along Warden's neck. 

He probably thought that it was a turn-on, and it did make him fidget a bit, but it also seemed a little forced, and hesitant. Like a lot of what he had been doing lately. 

Turning in Cerat's arms, Warden reached up and nudged his chin, closing his mouth gently. 

"Tell me, Cerat. Did Drake bite you again after we both did?" 

The brief shocked look on the vampire's face made Warden shake his head. "No wonder you're acting more like him." 

Cerat frowned before replying, "I don't act that much like him." 

Warden chuckled and reached up, messing with Cerat's already mussed bed-head. 

"Thank god for that. He did give it away when he was... preoccupied with me last night, though. Werewolves can't normally have telepathic communication with others that aren't in their packs." Warden said, making Cerat glance away for a moment before shrugging. 

"I was having trouble and asked him to do it since I knew that you wouldn't want to." He mumbled sheepishly, not lifting his eyes to Warden's. 

He knew that it would probably happen at some point, since he did notice Cerat's personality shifting a bit, but he had hoped that he'd ask him instead of Drake. He might have been able to be talked into it. 

"You changed after we did that together the first time, too. I think that Drake might have had a bigger influence on you." 

Cerat did lift his head then, clearly confused judging from the look on his face. 

"We both bit you to try and make your vampiric side consider us as sires, but it seems that Drake made the biggest impression." Warden said quietly as he lifted a hand and gently brushed it against Cerat's cheek, making the vampire lean into the touch without even seeming to think about it. 

When Cerat's eyes closed a moment later, Warden shook his head and smiled, letting his thumb stroke along the vampire's cool skin. 

"You aren't him, and while he is my best friend, I'm glad that you two are nothing alike." He said before tilting Cerat's head up just enough so that when he leaned in, their lips could meet. 

It was a few minutes before Cerat finally took an awkward step backward into the bedroom and dropped his gaze again. 

"What's wrong? Did you not want me to do that?" Warden asked, having thought that he'd read the situation pretty well. 

Cerat fidgeted, running a hand through his messy hair, but he didn't reply. 

"Are you worried that Drake will get mad because of the deal you made?" He asked, getting an immediate nod in response.